Qualitative Data

Analysis (QDA)
Jaime R. Soriano
Frequency and
Percentage
C. Length of Frequency Percentage
Service
0 – 5 years 10 ?
6 – 10 years 4 ?
11 – 20 years 3 ?
21 – 35 years 3 ?
Total 20 ?
D. Monthly Frequency Percentage
Income
Php 20,000 – 6 ?
30,000
Php 30,001 – 14 ?
40,000
Total 20 ?
Weighted Mean
4. Teaching is competitive profession in the school.
W(w) F(X) Xw Weighted Mean
5 (SA) 7 ?
4 (A) 8 ?
3 (U) 10 ? ?
2 (D) 3 ?
1 (SD) 2 ?
Total 30 ?
5. Teaching gives me recognition and respect form the community.
W(w) F(X) Xw Weighted Mean
5 (SA) 11 ?
4 (A) 7 ?
3 (U) 12 ? ?
2 (D) 0 ?
1 (SD) 0 ?
Total 30 ?
 Qualitative Data
• Data that are not easily reduced to numbers

• Data that are related to concepts, opinions,

values and behaviours of people
• Data that can be broken down through the
process of classifying or coding; the pieces of
data are then categorized.
 What is Qualitative Data Analysis?
• Qualitative Data Analysis (QDA) is the
range of processes and procedures
whereby we move from the qualitative
data that have been collected into
some form of explanation,
understanding or interpretation of the
people and situations we are
investigating.
 What is Qualitative Data Analysis

• Data analysis is a process of breaking

down data into smaller units,
determining their importance, and
putting pertinent units together in a
more general form.
 Qualitative Data Collection

• Observation (field notes, checklist….)

• Interviews
• Documents (reports, meeting minutes)
• Focus Groups
• Tape Recorder
• Audio/Video Recording
• Questionnaires (open-ended)
 WHAT TO DO WITH ALL THIS DATA?

Just as there are

numerous statistical tests
to run for quantitative
data, there are just as
many options for
qualitative data analysis…
 LIKE CLEANING A CLOSET ???

Think of managing your qualitative analysis

process like cleaning your closets – the
same basic steps apply!
It’s the same process…
1. Take everything out of the closet
2. Sort everything out – save or toss?
3. Look at what you have left and
organize into sub-groupings
(chunking)
4. Organize sub-groups into clusters
of similar things that belong
together (clusters, codes)
5. As you put things back, how would
you group them to maximize
functionality? How do the groups
make it work together?
(interpretation, presentation)
 FOUR BASIC STEPS
All qualitative data analysis involves the same
four essential steps:

1. Raw data management – ‘data cleaning’

2. Data reduction, I, II – ‘chunking’, ‘coding’
3. Data interpretation – ‘coding’, ‘clustering’
4. Data representation – ‘telling the story’, ‘making sense of
the data for others’
 Step 1: Raw Data Management
What is raw data management?
– The process of preparing and organizing
raw data into meaningful units of
analysis:
• Text or audio data transformed into
transcripts
• Image data transformed into videos,
photos, charts

As you review your data, you find that

some of it is not usable or relevant to
your study…
 Raw Data Sample

Transcript of Interview Data Raw Data Overview

• I always wanted to get my doctorate but I never felt I had
the time; then I reached a point in my career where I saw • Are some portions of this
that without the credentials, I would never advance to the
types of positions I aspired to..but I doubted I could do the transcript unusable or
work. I wasn’t sure I could go back to school after so much
time. And did I have the time, with working and a family? irrelevant? (purple)
These were the things I struggled with as I looked for the
right program.
• Um, ..finally starting the program with others like me, it
felt surreal. Once you switch gears from being an
established administrator at a college to being a doc
student, you realize you lose control over your life. You are
not in charge in that classroom, like you are in your office.
But also, once you say you are a doc student, people look
at you differently. And people at work began to take me
more seriously, ask for my opinion as if I now possessed
special knowledge because I was going for the doctorate.
It was the same information I had shared previously but
somehow it had a special quality? Its like magic!
• I can’t think of a particular example right now…
 Step II: Data Reduction I
 Get a sense of the data holistically, read
several times (immersion)
 Classify and categorize repeatedly, allowing for
deeper immersion
 Write notes in the margins (memoing)
 Preliminary classification schemes emerge,
categorize raw data into groupings (chunking)

Felice D. Billups, EdD., NERA Webinar

Presentation
 Winnowing
 Develop an initial sense of usable data and the
general categories you will create
 Preliminary set of codes developed, cluster raw data
into units that share similar meanings or qualities
 Create initial code list or master code book
 Chunks-Clusters Sample
• I always wanted to get my doctorate but I never felt I
had the time; then I reached a point in my career • Which sections of data are
where I saw that without the credentials, I would
never advance to the types of positions I aspired broadly similar? (red for
to..but I doubted I could do the work. I wasn’t sure I
could go back to school after so much time. And did I credentials, blue for
have the time, with working and a family? These were
the things I struggled with as I looked for the right personal struggles, green
program.
• -finally starting the program with others like me, it felt for shift in identity)
surreal. Once you switch gears from being an
established administrator at a college to being a doc • Which ‘chunks’ can be
student, you realize you lose control over your life. You
are not in charge in that classroom, like you are in your
office. But also, once you say you are a doc student,
clustered together to relate
people look at you differently. And people at work
began to take me more seriously, ask for my opinion as
to a broad coding scheme?
if I now possessed special knowledge because I was
going for the doctorate. It was the same information I
had shared previously but somehow it had a special
quality? Its like magic!

Transcript of Interview Data Chunking? Clusters?

 Step II: Data Reduction II
The process of reducing data from chunks into
clusters and codes to make meaning of that data:

Chunks of data that are similar begin to lead to

initial clusters and coding
 Clusters – assigning chunks of similarly labeled
data into clusters and assigning preliminary code
 Codes – refining, developing code books, labeling
codes, creating codes through 2-3 cycles
 Coding Process
 Initial coding may include as
many as 30 categories
 Reduce codes once, probably
twice
 Reduce again to and refine to
codes that are mutually
exclusive and include all raw
data that was identified as
usable
 Coding Sample
• I always wanted to get my doctorate but I never felt I
had the time; then I reached a point in my career
• Chunking to coding:
where I saw that without the credentials, I would
never advance to the types of positions I aspired
• Red for credentials – codes
to..but I doubted I could do the work. I wasn’t sure I include career goals CG, career
could go back to school after so much time. And did I
have the time, with working and a family? These were advancement CA
the things I struggled with as I looked for the right
program. • Blue for personal struggles- codes
• -finally starting the program with others like me, it felt
surreal. Once you switch gears from being an
include self-doubt SD, time
established administrator at a college to being a doc management TM
student, you realize you lose control over your life. You
are not in charge in that classroom, like you are in your • Green for shift in identity – codes
office. But also, once you say you are a doc student,
people look at you differently. And people at work include student role SR, identity
began to take me more seriously, ask for my opinion as at work IW, shift in control SC
if I now possessed special knowledge because I was
going for the doctorate. It was the same information I
had shared previously but somehow it had a special
quality? Its like magic!

Transcript of Interview Data Chunking? Clusters? Coding?

 Step III:
Data Interpretation & Themes

 ‘Chunks’ of related data that have similar

meaning are coded in several cycles
 Once coded, those ‘chunks’ become clustered
in similar theme categories
 Create meaning for those clusters with labels
 Themes emerge from those clusters
 Interpret themes to answer research
questions
 Themes Sample
• I always wanted to get my doctorate but I never felt I
had the time; then I reached a point in my career
• How do you compile the clusters
where I saw that without the credentials, I would into emerging themes? (red for
never advance to the types of positions I aspired
to..but I doubted I could do the work. I wasn’t sure I credentials, blue for personal
could go back to school after so much time. And did I
have the time, with working and a family? These were
struggles, green for shift in
the things I struggled with as I looked for the right identity)
program.
• -finally starting the program with others like me, it felt • Begin to see themes emerge:
surreal. Once you switch gears from being an
established administrator at a college to being a doc Getting the degree, becoming a
student, you realize you lose control over your life. You
are not in charge in that classroom, like you are in your
new person, personal
office. But also, once you say you are a doc student, achievement…
people look at you differently. And people at work
began to take me more seriously, ask for my opinion as
if I now possessed special knowledge because I was
going for the doctorate. It was the same information I
had shared previously but somehow it had a special
quality? Its like magic!

How do broad sections emerge into

Transcript of Interview Data thematic groupings?
 Step IV: Data Representation

 Interpretation or analysis of qualitative data

simultaneously occurs
 Researchers interpret the data as they read
and re-read the data, categorize and code the
data and inductively develop a thematic
analysis
 Themes become the story or the narrative
 Data Representation Types
Telling the story with the data
– Storytelling, Narrative
– Chronological
– Flashback
– Critical Incidents
– Theater
– Thematic
– Visual representation
– Figures, tables, charts
 How will it look in the end?
EXCERPT: Jumping into the Abyss: Life After the Doctorate (Felice Billups)

This qualitative phenomenological study sought to explore doctoral degree graduates’ perceptions of self, identity
and purpose in the post-dissertation phase, seeking participant perspectives on the phenomena of transition.
Considerable research has been conducted on currently enrolled doctoral students (Baird, 1997; David, 2011; Pauley,
2004; ) relative to the issues of 1) overcoming obstacles to completing the dissertation, 2) managing feelings of
isolation and disengagement, 3) successfully completing dissertation research and manuscript preparation, 4)
negotiating relationships with advisors and committee members, and 5) searching for teaching or scholarship
positions after degree completion. Research on the doctoral degree graduate has typically been conducted on
individuals in Ph.D. programs, where the post-graduation transition has focused on moving into traditional academic
roles (D’Andrea, 2002; Di Pierro, 2007; Johnson & Conyers, 2001; Varney, 2010); minimal research has been
conducted on Ed.D. graduates who are already actively engaged as professionals and/or practitioners in their fields,
and who have also balanced work-life challenges while pursuing their degrees.
The issues of personal accomplishment, anxiety, isolation, loss, hopes and aspirations, identity and role clarity, and
professional recognition were all examined through the lens of the ‘lived experience’ of purposefully selected
participants, all of whom recently graduated from a small Ed.D. program in the Northeast. By integrating the two
conceptual frameworks of Neugarten’s (1978) adult development theory, and Lachman and James’ (1997) midlife
development theory, the following themes emerged: 1) “You are not the same person!”, 2) “The degree is greater
than the sum of its parts!”, 3) “Now what do I do with all this time?”, and 4) “When will you crown me King/Queen of
the world?”. These themes reveal the experiences of recent doctoral degree graduates’ perceptions of the transition
from doctoral student to graduate.
Theme #2 The Degree is Greater than the Sum of its Parts: From Candidate
to Graduate. As one participant stated, “The doctoral process is complicated!”. Everyone
expressed similar sentiments as they described their first impressions of their course work,
and the eventual evolution to dissertation research. As separate parts of the doctoral
program, they seemed manageable, but when viewed as a whole program, they seemed
overwhelming. The consensus, however, was that each program component informed the
next in a way that defied description and prepared them for the dissertation process. As one
participant expressed, “My understanding of what the degree meant was not clear until I
stepped into my defense ..I had a moment when I realized that now it all makes sense…”
 Summarizing Your Data (Another
Example)
 After you have coded a set of data, write a
summary of what you are learning.
 Similarly, summarize the key themes that
emerge.
 With your data coded and summarized you
are ready to look across the various
summaries and synthesize your findings
across multiple data sources.
RQ: Why do students have problems with critical thinking?
Major and Minor Themes from Teacher s’ Interview
Question Major Theme Minor Theme
 
    
What are some of the challenges  
that your students face in
developing their critical thinking
Reading Challenges Time constraints
skills?    
     
    
How do you help to enhance the
critical thinking skills of your
 Need authentic learning
Greater immersion in reading
students? experience
 
     
What supplementary materials  
do you encourage your students  
to read within the subject area?
Need to Read newspapers Reading of Journals
 
Collating Data into a Table of Coded
Responses
Interview Observation Questionnaire
(teachers) (students) (students)

Reading Unwilling to Lack of group

challenges work in group cohesion

Need authentic Request teacher’s

learning assistance too
Laziness and
experience frequently
fatigue

Need to read Limited

newspaper independent
Tardiness thinking
 Explanation of Themes
 Write up and explain the themes in narrative
format under the specific research question
 Use a few actual quotes from the participants
responses to validate your narrative (3 -5 is
enough)
 Do this for each major theme that emerged
from the data
 Example of Narrative Format
RQ: Why do students have problem with critical thinking?

Reading challenges. When asked what are the challenges that students face in
developing critical thinking skills the teachers interviewed felt that students had
reading challenges. Many students were reading below their grade levels with
limited vocabulary. This made it difficult for students to decipher the meaning of
written work.

The following are some direct quotation from the participants:

[1] “Students do not read on their own. Hence they cannot think critically when
given the opportunity”.
[2] “Their reading level”.
[3] “They are unable to decipher the meaning of some key terms used in the
question”.
 References
Grbich, C. (2007). Qualitative data analysis: An
introduction. London, UK: Sage.

Miles, M. B., & Huberman, A. M. (2013).

Qualitative data analysis: An expanded sourcebook.
(3rd ed.). Los Angeles, CA: Sage.

Saldana, J. (2009). The coding manual for

qualitative researchers. Los Angeles, CA: Sage.
Felice D. Billups, EdD., NERA Webinar
Presentation